SWINDON Wildcats player-coach Aaron Nell was always sure Loris Taylor’s talent would come through after tying down the forward to a new deal for next season.

Taylor has had a long association with the club, but stepped up to the senior roster at the Link Centre for the first time since the 2014-15 campaign early on last season.

The promotion through the ranks paid off handsomely as Taylor registered 31 points in 53 games during 2018-19, helping Swindon win the NIHL South One league title.

And the 25-year-old will now be a permanent fixture in the Cats’ senior squad as they rise into the new National League after signing a fresh one-year deal.

Cats coach Nell said: “Loris came in on a trial early on last season and did really well and ended up being a very important player for us.

“His performances were something of a bonus as we hadn’t really banked on him when we were putting our squad together this time last year.

“We always believed he could do as well as he did, but we probably weren’t expecting him to do it straight away.

“He came up with some big goals in big games. He is a good player, he is big but he is also very skilled.

“We are very happy that he decided to give it another go with us and now we’re hoping he can make the step up to what will be an even bigger test next season.”

After making such a strong impression last season, Nell hopes he can continue to see a rapid improvement from Taylor when the Cats move up a level next term.

“It was an easy conversation with Loris once we sat down, but he also knows there is now a little bit more expectation on his shoulders going into next season,” said Nell.

“That will be a different pressure for him, but I think he can take it.”

“He is someone that wants to keep on doing well and we are very happy to have another local player doing well for the club.”